Extras mechanism for taximeters



G, C. COIL May 18, 1937.

, EXTRAS MECHANISM FOR TAXIMETERS Filed Sept. 19., 1955 G C/ NlfiNTOR rover Ol BY 2 Z. W

ATTORNEY Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EXTRAS MECHANISM FOR TAXIMETERS Grover C. Coil, Dayton,

assignments, to Central Ohio, assignor, by mesne National Bank of 8 Claims.

The object of this invention is to provide means which prevents extras being registered on a. taximeter when the flag controlled shaft is in vacant position and means to register all extras on the extras trip indicator as well as on the non-resettable totalizer therefor. In the past drivers have frequently found that they can manipulate the extras mechanism so that the dial which is read by the operator and the passenger would indicate an extra fare without that extra fare being accumulated in the extras totalizer. The driver would then collect the extras fare from the passenger but would not have to account therefor to the operating company for the reason that it was not accumulated in the extras totalizer. Another object of the invention is to provide means to lock up the mechanism and to render it inoperative when. the maximum extra fare has been registered. Other objects and advantages. of the invention will appear in the detailed specification and claims which follow.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a taximeter of conventional construction with all parts omitted except those which directly involve my invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view thereof; and

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a part of the locking means.

The flag controlled shaft I is controlled by the flag, not shown and which forms: no part of this invention. Secured to this shaft is a cam 2 having a cut-away portion 3. A lever 4 is pivoted to the frame of the taximeter by a pin 5. This lever is provided with a. nose 6 which rests on the periphery of the cam 2 and when the flag controlled shaft is in vacant position rests in the cut-away portion. 3, in which position the lever 4 engages a lever l pivoted on a pin 8, which lever is normally urged to: the right as viewed in Figure 1 by means: of a spring 9. When the lever 4 is in its lowermost position, that is, with the nose 6 resting within the cut-away portion 3 of the cam 2, it engages the lever l and prevents it being moved to the right, or in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1. The lever l is provided with a nose l0 which, when the said lever is engaged by the lever 4, engages a notch H in a link 22, thereby preventing the said link from being moved longitudinally. It is the movement of the link 22 which actuates the extras mechanism and by locking this link against movement the extras mechanism cannot be operated when the flag controlled shaft is in its vacant position.

A shaft I3 is manipulated by the hand of the operator as is well known in the art. This shaft will hereinafter be referred to as the extras operating shaft. This shaft has secured thereto a lever having oppositely extending arms l4 and I5, the armbeing longer than the arm l5. The arm I4 is provided with a pin I6 which projects through a slot IT in a bar IS. The bar I8 is secured to a pin [9 which is secured to a slide 20 by means of .a U-shaped extension 2|, as shown in Figure 2. This U-shaped extension is simply the top part of the slide 20 which is formed over and around a link 22. A spring 23 connects the pins l6 and IS.

The slide 20 is provided with non-vertical slots 24 and 25 through which extend pins 26 and 21. The said slide is also provided with a pin 28 on which is mounted a bell crank lever 29 provided with a nose 30 and having an arm 3| extending at a slightly obtuse angle to the downwardly extending part of the said bell crank lever. The arm 3| is provided with a pin 32 and the slide 20 is provided with a pin 33. A spring 34 connects the pins 32 and 33. The nose 30 engages a notch 35 in the link 22. A spring 36 is secured to the link 22 and also to a pin 31 carried by an adjustable stop 38.

The arm I5 is provided with a pin 39 which passes through a slot 40 in. a link 4| which carries a pin 42 securedto a bell crank lever 43 pivoted on a stud 44. A spring 45 connects the pin 42 to a pin 46 anchored in the frame of the taximeter.

The link 22 is secured at its upper end by means of a pin 41 to a lever 48 pivoted on a stud 49. The lever 48 carries a pin 50 on which is loosely mounted a bell crank lever 5| which has arms 52 and 53. The arm 53 normally rests against a fixed stud 54 and the arm 52, when the lever 48 is depressed, engages a ratchet 55 mounted on a shaft 56. The said ratchet is secured to a visible indicator 51. A spring 58 serves as a means to return the visible indicator 5! to its zero position when the taximeter is reset as is well known in the art. The indicator 5'! is provided with a pin 59 which when the indicator has been actuated to its maximum extent or so as to register the maximum extras fare will engage an arm 60 pivoted on the stud 54. The arm 60 is provided with a pin 6| to which is attached a spring 62 having its other end secured to a stud 63 on the taximeter frame. The same arm 60 is also provided With a pin 64 to which is attached a spring 55 having its other end secured to a pin 66 mounted on an arm 51 which is likewise loosely mounted on the stud 54. The arm 8'! also carries a pin 68 adapted to be engaged under certain conditions hereinafter recited by the adjacent surface of the arm 60. The lever 48 is provided with an over-turned flange 69.

In operation, the entire mechanism is locked against any operation unless the flag controlled shaft I has been rotated so as to lift the lever 4 out of engagement with the lever 1 so that the spring 9 can move the nose ID of the said lever out of the notch H of the link 22. If the flag controlled shaft has been so rotated, the said lever is released thereby releasing the link 22. The operator would, if he now wishes to register an extras fare, rotate the extras operating shaft 13 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1. The pin 39 will travel down the slot 40 engaging the lower portion thereof and thereafter move downwardly the link 4! rotating the bell crank lever 43 in an anti-clockwise direction and removing the nose 70 of the said bell crank lever out of the notch H formed in the slide 20, thereby releasing the said slide. As the pin 39 has been moving downwardly through the slot 40 the pin l6 has been moving upwardly through the slot ll placing the spring 23 under tension. As soon as the said slide is released as above described the spring 23 moves the slide 20 upwardly through the pin connection I9 and U-shaped extension 2| which forms a part of the slide 20. The slots 24 and 25 form an angle with a vertical line and as the slide 20 is moved upwardly the said slide 28 is cammed to the right as viewed in Figure 1 so that its upward movement is not straight up but is modified by a movement to the right as viewed in said figure. The arm 3! now engages the bottom of the adjustable stop 38 and as the slide 20 continues its upward movement the nose 30 is pulled out of the notch in the link 22. Until the nose 30 is disengaged from the notch 35 the link 22 has moved upwardly with the slide 20 but it is now released. Upon the disengagement of the nose 30 from the notch 35, the spring 36 pulls the link 22 downwardly, thereby rotating the lever 48 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure i. As the link 22 moves upwardly the right hand end of the lever 48 is moved downwardly so that the pawl arm 52 engages the ratchet 55 rotating it one notch and correspondingly rotating the indicator 51. As the spring 36 moves the link 22 downwardly when the nose 30 is disengaged from the notch 35 a lever 12 secured by a pin 13 to the lower end of the slide bar is rotated counter-clockwise. This lever 12 is provided with a pin 14 on which is mounted a pawl l5 which engages and actuates a ratchet H5 secured to the totalizer extras wheel ll. Each operation, therefore, of the extras operating shaft indicates a registration of one extra on the visible indicator and accumulates one extra on the totalizer wheel 11.

It is, therefore, apparent that as the extras operating shaft 13 is rotated manually in a clockwise direction the nose :0 is moved out of the notch H releasing the slide 20 and the spring 3 now pulls the slide 20 and link 22 upwardly, thereby rotating the lever 48 clockwise and actuating the visible indicator 5'! one space through the arm 52 and ratchet 55, and furthermore, as soon as the visible indicator is actuated the nose 3G is moved out of the notch 35 releasing the link 22 whereupon the spring 36 moves the link 22 downwardly rotating the lever 12 anti-clockwise and actuating the totalizer extras wheel 11 one unit through the pawl 15 and ratchet 16. When the operator moves the extras operating shaft l3 back to its initial position, that is, in a counter-clockwise direction, the pin l5 carried by the lever 54 engages the bottom of the slot ll depressing the slide 20 through the bar l8, pin l9 and the U-shaped extension 2| connecting the pin 19 with the slide 20. When the bar 20 is completely depressed the spring 45 rotates the bell crank lever 43 in a clockwise direction so as to seat the nose 10 in the notch 7|. The parts are now in a position to be operated a second time in case it is necessary to register a second extras fare.

The registering capacity of the extras, how ever, is limited for ordinarily the greatest amount of extras chargeable is less than $1.00 and generally about Means are provided tolock the extras actuating mechanism against operation after this maximum extras fare been registered and this locking means is controlled by the pin 59 carried by the visible indicator. As the visible indicator is rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1 when being actuated, its pin 59 will engage the arm 80 when the mammum fare has been indicated moving the said arm 60 in a counter-clockwise direction. This takes place while the highest extras fare is being registered. The movement of the arm 60 pulls the arm 61 over the over-turned flange 69 carried by the lever 48, the arm 61 being pulled by the spring 65. The lower portion of the arms 6'! does not entirely rest over the flange 69 but only partially extends thereover so that as the lever 48 is raised after actuating the ratchet 55 the arm 61 will be cammed off of the flange 69 and as soon as the flange 69 passes above the nose of the arm 61 the lower portion of the said arm 61 will pass under the flange thereby locking the lever 48 against any movement, which prevents the extras mechanism being actuated again. When, however, the visible indicator 51 is reset as is well known in the art the pin 59 will be disengaged from the arm 80 and the spring 62 will move the arm 69 back into the position shown in Figure 1. As it is so moved it engages the pin 68 rotating the arm 61 in a clockwise direction and disengaging the lower portion thereof from beneath the flange 69 so that the extras operating mechanism is released from the locking mechanism described immediately above. However, the visible indicator is not reset until the flag controlled shaft is being reset which will rotate the cam 2 into the position shown in Figure 3 so that the nose 6 of the lever 4 will project into the cut-away portion 3 of the cam 2, in which position the lever 4 engages the right hand extremity of the lever 1 moving it against the tension of the spring 9 so as to seat the nose ID in the notch ll of the slide bar 22, thereby locking the slide bar against movement, which looks the extras operating shaft 13 against effective operation so that when the flag controlled shaft l is in its vacant position it is impossible to register an extra.

I realize that many changes may be made in the specific form of this invention shown and described by way of illustration in this application and I, therefore, reserve the right to make such changes in the specific form of the invention as shown herein as I may find to be desirable. I, therefore, claim the invention broadly except as I may limit myself by the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a taximeter, an extras indicator, a totalizer therefor, a reciprocatable link provided with a notch controlling the operation of both said indicator and totalizer, means whereby said link is reciprocated to register on both said indicator and totalizer, means normally seated in said notch and holding said link against reciprocation, and means to release said holding means.

2. In a taximeter, an extras indicator, a totalizer therefor, a reciprocatable link provided with a notch controlling the operation of both said indicator and totalizer, means whereby said link is reciprocated to register on both said indicator and totalizer, means normally engaging said notch and holding said link inoperative, and means whereby said link is locked against reciprocation after the maximum fare has been registered on the indicator.

3. In a taximeter, a visible extras indicator, a lever to actuate said indicator, a reciprocatable link whereby said lever is actuated, said link being provided with a notch, a lever having a nose, a flag shaft, a cam thereon, a lever operated by said cam and engaging the first mentioned lever when the flag is in Vacant position so that said nose is held in said notch, thereby preventing the reciprocation of said link and lever when the flag is .in vacant position.

4. In a taximeter, a visible extras indicator, an operating means therefor including a reciprocatable link provided with a notch, a flag shaft, and a lever engaging said notch and holding said link against reciprocation when the flag shaft of the taximeter is in vacant position and means whereby the rotation of the flag shaft controls said lever.

5. In a taximeter, a manually movable lever, a link movable thereby, a lever operatively connected with said link and provided with a nose, a slide provided with a notch, normally receiving said nose and holding said slide against reciprocation, a second link movable by said firstmentioned lever and operatively connected with said slide, a visible extras indicator and a total extras counter, a reciprocatable link, means whereby said reciprocatable link is moved in one direction by the actuation of said slide, and means whereby said reciprocatable link actuates said visible indicator, means whereby said slide is released from the reciprocatable link when the said reciprocatable link has completed its movement to actuate said visible indicator, means to return said reciprocatable link to its initial position, and means to actuate the total extras counter during the return movement of said reciprocatable link.

6. In a taximeter, an extras mechanism ineluding a rotatable wheel and ratchet operatively connected together, a lever, means whereby said lever is caused to oscillate when an extra fare is registered, a pawl carried by said lever and adapted to operate said ratchet, 2. lug carried by said lever, an arm, a fixed stud on which said arm is pivoted, a pawl controlled by said pivoted arm, and means to move said pivoted arm so as to cause said pawl controlled by the pivoted arm to engage said lug and lock said lever against movement when the maximum extras fare has been registered.

7. In an extras mechanism, an operating lever, a fixed stud, a control arm mounted thereon, a pawl controlled by said control arm, a lug carried by said operating lever, and means to shift said control arm when the maximum extras fare has been registered to shift said pawl into locking engagement with the stud on the operating lever.

8. In an extras mechanism, an operating lever, a fixed stud, a control arm mounted on said stud, a pawl, pins carried by said control arm and pawl, a spring connecting said pins, means adapted to engage and shift said control arm when the maximum extras fare is being registered, a lug carried by said operating lever, said spring serving as a means to engage said pawl with said lug and lock said operating lever against operation when said control lever has been shifted by said first-named means.

GROVER C. COIL. 

